


The Prince and The Prince

by annannette (fanetjuh)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, M/M, Rapunzel Elements, Sleeping Beauty Elements, sleeping clary fray
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-17
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-02-15 23:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13042209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/pseuds/annannette
Summary: Jace had come here to save a princess. All his life he was told he would marry a princess, and one day he would become king with a queen by his side. It was impossible that he had come all the way here, only to discover that his other half was another prince. He had never heard a story like that.





	The Prince and The Prince

**Author's Note:**

  * For [floralathena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/floralathena/gifts).



> I really want to thank my beta from Shadowhunters Betas, the amazing, talented and wonderful driedflowers here on AO3. Without the help, this story wouldn't be what it is now! I couldn't have asked for a better beta.

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away, a young prince let out a deep sigh and straightened his back. His happy ending was waiting for him in this tower. His princess was waiting for him in this tower.

It had taken him months to decode to the map he had gotten from his father, and weeks to reach the sacred portal that would lead him to the hidden forest. His fight with the dragon guarding its treasure had lasted three full hours. 

But it would be worth it.

Once he laid eyes on her, he would forget everything. He would forget all those years of training, of waking up in the early morning when not even the sun had risen yet, of riding horses and holding swords until his entire body was covered in blisters and bruises, of reading books about all possible magical creatures that could stand between him and his bride to be, even though he knew that he would never encounter most of them. 

And yet, he couldn't bring himself to start climbing the tower. He couldn't bring himself to grab the stones, to find the stable ones, to pull himself up. He couldn't bring himself to use the last bit of energy he had left after his long journey to go up to meet his reward, his princess, his bride.

"My prince? Is that you?"

Instinctively Simon pushed himself against the wall to stay hidden while a pretty, dark haired young maiden looked out of the open window.

"Strange..." she murmured and cocked her head, resting her hands on the windowsill. "I was sure I heard something..." She disappeared again and Simon closed his eyes and took another deep breath. 

He didn't know why he was this nervous. He couldn't force his body to start moving towards her, and he didn't feel the excitement he was supposed to. 

Something felt wrong, terribly wrong.

All Simon’s life he had heard stories about princes finding their princesses. They had all described the amazing feeling when they had first laid eyes on her. How it had been like lightning struck them, and all of a sudden everything made sense and they forgot all the terrible monsters they had faced and the challenges they had survived.

But Simon felt nothing. Not even a small flame. Just nothing.

Was this the wrong princess? Had he gotten the wrong map, or beaten the wrong dragon? Had the portal brought him to the wrong land altogether?

He pressed the tips of his fingers to his temples and he knew one thing for sure. He needed some air, fresh air. Simon needed to get away from this tower. He needed to think without the weight of the pile of stones that almost reached the sky, and the princess living in the top of it, on his shoulders.

\----

Jace stared at the palms of his hands to make sure he had managed to get all thorns out. He was covered in scratches from head to toe after fighting his way through the enormous roses that surrounded the castle and hid the doors. At least his heart had calmed down after his confrontation with the dragon. Each step felt weirdly light now that his sword was no longer in its scabbard, but in the heart of the fire-breathing monster. 

Upstairs, a beautiful young princess was waiting for him. She would wrap her arms around him and they would live happily ever after. 

He smiled and stood still to look at his reflection in the mirror one last time. His hair was glued to his forehead with sweat, and he mussed it up it a little until he was satisfied. He had not shaved during the last three days, but he had to admit that he liked how the stubble made him look older. 

His future princess had nothing to complain about at least. And she would have to forgive him for looking less than perfect after everything he had done to save her. 

Jace straightened his back, and after one more deep breath, started to climb the cold stone stairs that wound through the tower. His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway. Every time he walked past a painting he got the uneasy feeling that the the portraits were staring at him, and he felt a shiver rolling down his spine when he halted in front of a wooden door still covered in thorns and roses. 

The golden doorknob felt like ice, but the door opened without much effort. A strong wind filled the room with cold air. And on the bed, hidden behind the billowing curtains, lay his princess. 

He walked slowly towards her, prolonging the moment, making sure he would remember it for the rest of his life. He used one hand to move the curtain aside and he let his eyes wander over the sleeping beauty. 

Her red hair surrounded her angelic face like a halo, and her lips were curled up into a smile, as if she had not known that something bad was about to happen to her. She had her hands folded over her stomach. She was so beautiful, and yet…

Jace hesitated. He didn't feel what he was supposed to feel. He had heard the stories, talked to friends who had already found their bride, and they had all told him the same thing. The moment they saw her, the sun brightened the darkest night. They forgot about their pain and their worries. It didn't matter anymore that they had died almost countless times on their way there. Everything was perfect and exactly as it should be.

But Jace didn't feel any of that. 

The wind was still cold. His hands were still stinging. The room was still dark. 

He stepped back. What if he kissed her and still didn’t feel anything? What if she wouldn't wake up because something was wrong and he wasn't her prince? 

Jace shook his head and turned around. He stormed out of the room, rushed down the stairs and ran as far away from the castle as he could. He needed time. He needed to think. And he needed to assure himself that she was his princess and he was her prince.

\----

Simon knelt at the edge of a small pond and splashed the cold water on his face. How hard could it be to just go back to that tower and save the princess? Why did he panic because he had to kiss and marry her? Wasn't this was he had been training for his entire life? He splashed some more water in his face, but no matter what he tried it was impossible to get rid of all the doubts and fears.

"Are you alright?" someone called from behind him.

Simon quickly straightened his back and stood up and all of a sudden he realized how pathetic he must look right now. He carried a sword around his waist and wore clothes made for a king, but he was behaving like a little child. "Yes, yes..." He nodded furiously, still facing the water. "I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. I have everything under control." He smiled and he folded his sweating hands behind his back. "I was just taking a small break before I go and save my..." Simon turned around and looked straight into the most mesmerizing eyes he had ever seen. 

A shiver rolled down his spine. His heart skipped a few beats in his chest. His skin started to tingle and he forgot how to breath. 

In front of him stood the most handsome young man he had ever seen. And that meant something, since he had attended one of those famous schools for princes. His blond hair glinted in the sun, and his blue uniform fit snugly around his biceps. 

"Oh...my..." Simon widened his eyes and he licked his lips in thought. "Oh...my..." He stopped breathing. "It's you!" 

"You know me?" The young prince, that was without a doubt what he was, raised his eyebrows. "I know I have quite a reputation, but..." He trailed off, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. 

"Don't you feel it?" Simon shook his head and walked towards the prince. He wanted to grab his hands and kiss his lips but he controlled himself and took a deep breath instead. "Please, tell me you feel it, because if you don't and I do, this would be very weird." 

The prince kept silent for a moment. When he spoke, he stuttered, but his voice was warm and had a nice dark edge. "But I'm here to save a damsel in distress. You don't look like you're in distress." He let his gaze wander over Simon, blushing while his eyes rested on Simon's lips.

Simon widened his eyes. "I am now." He nodded furiously and buried his hands in his curls. "Because I totally didn't feel this for the girl I'm supposed to save who's waiting for me in her tower. Who was supposed to save her?" Simon stood still and locked eyes with his Prince Charming. "Are you here to save a princess too? As in that case we have two princesses needing to be saved and two princes who are absolutely not destined to do so." 

The prince frowned. "You really think we're..." He stared at Simon once more before he stretched out his hand.  His palm was sweaty, but Simon didn't mind and grabbed it firmly. "Jace, Jace Herondale."

"Simon Lewis, and it would have been a huge pleasure to meet you if we didn’t have this problem right now." He pulled his hand back and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean, I totally came here to save a princess and now it turns out that she's not my princess. Which does explain why I didn't feel anything when I was looking at her, but..." He paused. "I've actually been very lucky that I've ran into you or that you ran into me, depending on how you look at it of course. It's not like we knew that we had to look for each other and, and if you hadn't been here to save your princess we probably wouldn't have met in the first place." He stood still of a sudden. "It's almost a little too perfect..." He looked up and widened his eyes. "What if it was meant to be like this?" He saw the solution quite clearly now and the adrenaline rushed through his veins while he stepped closer towards Jace. "I know you're my prince and I'm yours, but what if that means that my princess is your princess princess and your princess is my princess princess? In that case all we have to do is get them out of their castles and make sure they meet." 

Jace crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, good luck with that. I don't know about your princess, but mine is asleep. If I'm not her prince, I won't be able to wake her up either." 

"Well, in that case..." Simon placed his hands on Jace's shoulders. "We get my princess out of her tower so she can kiss yours awake." He smiled a proud smile, but Jace's lips were still forming a straight line. "You still don't believe me, do you? You really don't feel it? Come on! How can you not feel this? It's so obvious!"

\----

Maybe it was obvious, but it didn't make any sense. 

Jace had come here to save a princess. All his life he was told he would marry a princess, and one day he would become king with a queen by his side. It was impossible that he had come all the way here, only to discover that his other half was another prince. He had never heard a story like that. 

"It's impossible, Simon." He shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "Something must be wrong." But he did feel the tingling of his skin. When Simon stepped closer towards him his heart was racing faster in his chest than it had done while killing the dragon. And he had a weird feeling in his stomach he had never had before. 

"It is?" Simon stuck the tip of his tongue between his lips and Jace couldn't help wondering how it would be to kiss him. "Then why aren't you in the castle with your princess? Why didn't you kiss her and wake her up?" Simon lifted his chin and straightened his back. He was handsome, maybe not as handsome as Jace was himself, but still handsome. Every time he smiled he had dimples in his cheeks and the light of the sun reflecting in his eyes looked like little stars. 

"Because..." Jace didn't know what to say. He had not felt it. Not the tingling. Not the racing of his heart. Not the longing to kiss her. 

"Because she isn't your princess." Simon spoke firmly. "I'm your prince and you're mine, I'm like ninety nine point nine percent certain about that." He locked eyes with Jace and Jace felt a shiver rolling down his spine. "We go get my princess out of her tower and we bring her to your princess. If my princess can wake yours up..." 

"It wasn't a mistake." Jace gave in. Even though this was all crazy, he somehow didn't want it to be a mistake. Everything he felt right now felt way too good to be a mistake. He would figure out later how they would make this all work. He couldn't help it that he had left to marry a princess and would come back with a prince. He had not designed his own fate. "Let's go get your princess out of her tower, then." He gestured Simon to show the way.

For a while they walked together in silence. Their footsteps were slow, as if they were both dreading the moment they would have to tell the poor princess in the tower that neither of them was her prince. There was something between them. A thread, electricity, but most of all a lot of unspoken words. 

"We're almost there," Simon said, pointing at the tower they approached. 

It was a tower without a castle; a pile of stones that almost reached the sky. There was no door at the bottom, but climbing the stairs all the way to the top wouldn't be much easier than climbing the walls, anyway. Not for two young princes in peak physical shape. 

"You can go first." Jace waited as soon as they reached the stones. "She's still your princess." He shrugged and smiled while Simon shook his head.

\----

Simon took a deep breath before he reached for the stones and started climbing. When he looked up he saw the princess rushing towards her window, just like she had done the first time he had been here. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders and the last rays of sunlight for the day was reflected by her jewelry.

"My prince?" She leaned forward and she raised her eyebrows when she noticed Simon climbing the wall of her tower. "Is that you? Is it really you?" Her enthusiasm was mixed with something that sounded like scepticism. She had probably hoped for so long that her prince would come that she had stopped believing it would actually happen.

Simon didn't know what to answer, what to yell back. Technically he was the prince who had come to rescue her, but he was not everything else that should have been included in the package. "Something like that..." he murmured, not even sure if she could hear his words before they were blown away by the wind. 

"I thought you were never going to show up!" The princess crossed her arms over her chest. She was actually quite beautiful, especially now that he could see her from up close. Hopefully she wouldn't be too mad about the fact that somehow, something in their stories was a little different from what they had all expected. 

Simon kept on climbing, though, and he tried not to look at Jace too often even though he wanted to. Beneath him Jace's blond hair was blown by the wind and Simon wondered if he had ever seen someone looking this gracefully while climbing a tower. Simon's hand slipped, and he resolved not to look down anymore, no matter how great wind-blown Jace’s hair was.

"Can you please be careful? I haven't been waiting in this tower for 14 years only to see my prince fall down and break his neck while he’s almost there." Once Simon reached the top, the princess curled his fingers around his wrist and pulled him inside. At that moment she saw Jace close behind Simon. "Oh, two princes? To what do I owe that pleasure?" Her eyes widened when she noticed Jace, who had climbed in all by himself. "Was the road to my castle this hard?" She smiled teasingly. "Or have I just been a very good princess and is this my reward for waiting all those years?" She batted her eyelashes, but Simon shook his head.

"It's a kind of weird story, but..." He took a deep breath and he reached for her hands. "I don't think I'm your prince, and he isn’t either." Simon nodded at Jace, who leaned casually against one of the walls and let Simon do the talking.

The princess raised her eyebrows and for a moment she just stared at Simon, her eyes wandering over his body from head to toe and back. "I think you're right. I don't feel it." She let out a deep sigh. "But, if you already knew this, why did you bother climbing the walls of my tower?"

Simon’s pulse quickened, and he blurted the words out. "Because we think you have to kiss another princess awake." Simon swallowed. "I came here to rescue you and he came here to rescue some princess who's asleep in a castle not too far from here, but..." 

"You're destined for each other." The princess finished.

Simon wasn’t sure if the tension between him and Jace was actually palpable for other people too, but at least she had come to the right conclusion. "It does make sense, does it?" Every time he looked at Jace he grew more and more certain of that. "So, we're here to save you and then we’ll bring you to the other castle so you can save your princess."

"And what if it doesn't work?" The princess raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest. Her high heels clicked on the wooden as she walked a little closer towards Simon. "You're gonna put me back in this tower to wait for another prince to come for me?" She rolled her eyes. "Since everyone thinks it's the only way for a princess to meet her prince charming."

Simon shrugged his shoulders. He hadn’t thought about the small chance that he was wrong and that this princess wouldn't be able to wake the other princess up. Could he really lock her back up in this tower if it didn’t work? 

"We'll see about that if we have to," Jace said, walking towards them again and placing a hand on his lower back. Simon’s entire body tingled. "He's convinced it will work." Jace turned his head towards Simon. "And I'm starting to think he's right." 

Simon couldn't help smiling probably the dumbest smile he had ever smiled. A pleasant warmth spread through his body and for a few moments he allowed himself to drown in Jace eyes. How could someone have such beautiful eyes?

"Princess Isabelle to prince? Are you still there?" Isabelle snapped her fingers in front of his face and Simon shook his head. 

"Simon, I'm Simon and this is Jace." He felt his cheeks heating up and stepped away from Jace before something like that could happen again. "So..." He scratched the back of his neck. "Um, are you ready to come down with us?" 

"Always." Isabelle cocked her head. "Which one of you is going to carry me?" She curled her blood red lips up and Simon exchanged a glance with Jace. "You didn't think I was going to climb down myself, did you? In these heels? And what if I ruin my dress?" She winked.

"She's still your princess." Jace shrugged his shoulders and winked, but Simon was mostly staring at Jace, and the way his sleeves strained around his biceps. 

"You look way stronger." He blinked a few times. "And if she's my princess, then why did you come up here with me?" 

"To enjoy the view?" Jace let out a chuckle; his laugh almost sounded like music as it echoed through the room. "Fine, I'll carry her down." He placed a hand on Simon's shoulders. "I wouldn't want to watch you fall all the way down with her on your back."

"And what if you fall down?" Simon said.

"I won't. Trust me. Wall climbing was one of my best subjects in prince school." Jace smoothly lifted Isabelle up and walked towards the window. "You first."

Simon nodded and swung his leg over the edge to start his climb all the way down.

\----

Jace had climbed before with more weight on his shoulders. To him this was nothing but routine. He moved smoothly, but he made sure not to look at Simon beneath him, just in case. He would be disappointed if Isabelle wasn’t be able to kiss his princess awake. During the short time he had known Simon he had started to like him a lot. He liked the way Simon made him feel. 

"You're almost there. Just a few more steps," Simon said, already safely on the ground. 

Jace jumped the last few feet just to scare Isabelle a little, but the princess  didn't flinch. Instead she slid down from his back and dusted off her clothes. "Alright, where is that castle with the sleeping princess?" She stared at Jace with a confident smile playing around her lips. "If I kiss her awake we can leave this damned place, right?" 

Jace nodded. "It's not too far away. Follow me." He started walking and instinctively reached for Simon's hand. 

This entire adventure was messed up, but when their fingers entwined it was as if everything was right. It was messed up in a good way, Jace thought. 

"Really..." Isabelle walked on Jace's left. "For years I was locked up in a tower. And just when I think everything's over and I'll get my happily ever after, I have to cross half the land in the middle of the night to get to another castle." She shook her head. "Why can't things just be simple for once?"

"It will be worth it," Jace said. His hand was firmly holding onto Simon's and he felt an encouraging squeeze. "Trust me." 

"I hope so." Isabelle stood still when she noticed the castle covered in what was left of the rose bushes. "What happened here?" She slowed down reached out her hand, but Jace curled his fingers around her wrist to stop her. 

"Don't touch it. It's more thorns than roses," He said. He let her hand go again and followed the path he had cut for himself earlier. In front of the gate was a huge crater, left from his fight with the dragon he had beaten by throwing his sword straight into her heart. "The princess is inside." Jace pushed open the wooden door and for the second time today he stared at his reflection in the mirror. 

"Yes, Jace, you look absolutely totally handsome and there is not one strand of hair out of place." Simon placed both hands on his shoulders. "Come on, let's see if Isabelle can kiss that princess of yours awake." Simon squeezed Jace's shoulders one more time. 

In absolute silence they climbed the stairs towards the first floor. The paintings on the wall weren't as scary anymore. The pressure Jace had felt the first time he had been here was lifted off his shoulders. 

The beautiful princess in the bed was not waiting for him. She was waiting for a princess. And she would get a fierce one.

Jace pushed open the door to the bedroom. This time he quickly walked towards the bed and he stared at the sleeping princess once more before Isabelle stood next to him. "She's lovely, isn't she?" Jace said. He turned his head towards Isabelle and smiled when he saw the change in her eyes.

"Lovely?" Isabelle whispered. She sat down on the edge of the bed and she touched the pinkish cheek of the sleeping princess with the back of her hand. "She’s beautiful." Isabelle let out a deep sigh. "She's breathtaking beautiful. She's everything I could’ve imagined her to be and so much more, and she's everything I didn't know I wanted and all I've ever dreamed of." 

Simon let his hand rest on Jace's shoulder. "Should we give the two princesses a little bit of privacy? I think we both know how this is gonna end, don't we?" 

Isabelle didn't even look up when they left the room. She was too busy preparing for the kiss that would be the start of her happily ever after. 

Jace couldn't blame her for it. "What a journey..." he said, leaning against the stone cold wall outside the princess’s room. 

"That's the least you could say about all of this, but..." Simon walked towards Jace and placed a hand next to Jace's head. "I'd say it was all more than worth it, for our two princesses and for us." He leaned in and Jace felt Simon's warm breath on his face.

"It was," Jace said, and he slid his arms around Simon's waist and pulled him closer so their lips touched. And while he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss he could only think of one thing; He would get to live with this prince happily ever after.


End file.
